Healthcare Design Conference
Advance rates are available through August 14.
The premier health care design industry show will take place at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis October 5-8, 2024.
Devoted to how the design of responsibly built environments directly impacts the safety, operation, clinical outcomes, and financial success of health care facilities, both now and into the future, this health care design show highlights best practices and top health care design products.
Attendees have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits, network with peers, discuss best practices, view innovative design products, and influence the direction of the industry as it advances into the future.
AAH related sessions and events will be posted here when available. We encourage everyone to attend!
E09 - Understanding Clinical Laboratory Design: Integrating Equipment, Technology, and Facility Planning
October 6 | 9:45-10:45am
Early equipment investigation and the alignment of equipment selections with facility system design requirements are essential for optimizing clinical laboratory planning and enhancing operations. The example of a new clinical laboratory facility supporting numerous standard-of-care departments will be used to demonstrate equipment-centric planning concepts, present specific challenges that highlight the importance of early discovery and coordination, and offer lessons learned and insights into the next generation of clinical laboratory testing platforms. The clinical laboratory is being challenged to become more resilient, more productive, more efficient, more automated, more digital, and more safety focused. The outcome of diagnostic medicine depends on the successful integration and anticipation of innovative equipment and diagnostic testing assays through the work of collaborative, interdisciplinary design teams.
E19 - Connections, Distinctions, and Merging Trends of Biophilia and Sustainable Design in Optimizing the Therapeutic Healing Environment
October 6 | 11:00am-12:00pm
This session will present the connections, distinctions, and new emerging trends of both biophilic and sustainable design to create therapeutic healing environments. This presentation will present in-depth scientific and evidence-based design principles that aid the healing process; offer a new tool to both grade and optimize a project's design potential and success; and analyze best-in-class case studies from around the world that exhibit these principles. Through both the scientific research and real-life best-in-class examples of healing environments, this session will provide attendees knowledge and tools to apply in their ongoing and future healthcare work.
E29 - Vital Design Studio: Bridging Theory and Practice for Improving Population Health through Design
October 6 | 2:00-3:00pm
Vital Design Studio at Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design represents a unique partnership between professional practice and the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health. A semester-long studio course aimed at exploring the relationship between population health and the built environment, the studio brings together architecture, landscape architecture, and interior architecture students to work collaboratively on real-world projects with input from practicing professionals. This interdisciplinary approach not only mirrors professional project delivery but also fosters a rich exploration of diverse design and technical perspectives, culminating in project proposals that prioritize equity, inclusion, and good health for all. Developed by Assistant Professor Kendra Kirchmer and sponsored by Louis A. Meilink Jr., the studio raises awareness of real-world, societal challenges and emphasizes the importance of “getting upstream” to impact health outcomes. Students travel to diverse project sites, building their networks while grounding theory in the reality of communities that face real health challenges. The presentation serves as a call-to-action for the industry to become involved in shaping the future of design education through collaboration and will include perspectives from Kendra Kirchmer, Louis Meilink, and Vital Design alumna, Morgan Garrett, who chose her first job based on her experience in the studio.
E39 - Implementing Design that Supports Neurodiversity
October 6 | 3:15-4:15pm
Neuroscience reveals how the brain, mind, and body influence the diversity of users in healthcare settings. This presentation continues the Neuro-Architecture Forum hosted by the AIA-AAH for over 20 years, since the formation of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA). Award-winning built projects, advances in research-informed design, and a practice-based process for incorporating neuroscience into design will be discussed. Examples of clinically informed architecture reveal how neurodiverse users may be better supported by design. Recently, studies presented to the American College of Surgeons and others reveal the significant potential deleterious impact of noise in the operating room. Patients, caregivers, and health professionals with varied clinical conditions may measurably react differently to design features depending on the tasks at hand and their level of stress as they rapidly perform their work or try to heal. A practical neuro-architectural process for creating and prioritizing competing design solutions will be reviewed. The translation of neuroscientific studies provides a deeper understanding of how spaces impact our sensory, perceptual, physical, emotional, and cognitive reactions as well as our health and well-being. Despite this complexity, equitable, inclusive, and effective design principles can be developed.
E49 - Safety by Design: Applying Behavioral Health Design Principles to Protect Staff
October 7 | 9:30-10:30am
How do designers create spaces in which staff feel safe, comfortable, and positioned to work at the top of their licenses—all without compromises to patient experience? Thankfully, behavioral health design principles and strategies provide a roadmap for safety success that can be applied to a wide range of service lines. During this roundtable session, you’ll discover how to apply these principles to better protect staff. Attendees will explore specific examples adapted from behavioral health design, surveying strategies that begin at the front door of health facilities and extend throughout. From managing entry points to the designs of workstations, egress, and weapons screening, presenters will detail actionable, cost-effective approaches that you can implement in your next project.
E57 - Cultivating Collaboration: Connecting Emerging Leaders in Healthcare Design
October 7 | 3:45-4:45pm
This interactive course and panel discussion from the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health’s NextGen group aims to equip emerging healthcare designers with the knowledge, skills, and networking opportunities needed to navigate the complex and ever-evolving field of healthcare architecture. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the diverse career paths within healthcare design while exploring the unique resources offered by the AIA AAH. Discussion topics and Q&A will focus on the resources available within the AAH, such as the Colleague to Colleague Mentorship Program, research and case studies, codes and standards, fellowships, etc. Esteemed speakers, including past participants and members of these committees will share personal experiences, insights, and success stories, offering a firsthand look at the value of fostering connections in the field of healthcare design.
E61 - The Good and the Bad of Benchmarking
October 7 | 3:45-4:45pm
The AIA AAH Research Initiative Committee efforts over the past years has focused on benchmarking of the Case Study Library. This team is dedicated to continually improving the robustness of protocols, the reliability of its database, and the clarity of communicating the studied metrics. This year's discussion will delve even deeper into the analytics, aiming to uncover the "why" behind the group's findings, discussing differences, similarities, and the ranges observed in benchmarking data and cross-case comparisons. For clinic data analytics, the focus areas include the definition, take-off analyses, and calculations regarding onstage/offstage, shared circulation, and linear typologies. Acute care Hhospitals will be compared based on overall building analytics and performance on the patient floors. Discussions will touch on qualitative criteria regarding circulation and waiting areas to explore wayfinding indicators that impact occupants' spatial experiences. The roundtable format of this session will offer participants the opportunity to thoroughly review benchmark data, test contribute to the analysis, test the viability of our methodology, and promote positive future design strategies.